Explosion engine



Oct; 21 1924. r

' E. POTTER EXPLOSION ENGINE Filed Sept. 29, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR,

WITNESSES ATTORNEY Oct; 21 '1924.

E. POTTER EXPLOSION ENGINE File d Sept. 29. 1919 l 4 sheets-sheet 2 WITNESSES ATTORNEY oct- 21 1924- E. POTTER EXPLOS ION ENGINE Filed se zf 29 1919 4 Sheets-$heet 5 ,Eaiwwzfai'fiw;

INVENTOR,

WITNESSES ATTORNEY Oct. 21 1924.

E. POTTER EXPLOSION ENGINE 4 Sheets-Shet 4 Filed Sept. 29, 1919 M WW\\\\\\\\\\\\ I 4 INVENTOR WITNESSES A ITOHNIY Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES EDSON POTTER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

EXPLOSION ENGINE.

Application filed September 29, 1919. Serial No. 327,077.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EnsoN Porrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Explosion Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to explosion engines, and its object is to provide a multi cylinder engine in which the cylinders may operate on the two-cycle principle and the charges be injected into the cylinders under pressure so that a four cylinder engine will operate with an efficiency approaching that of an eight cylinder engine.

In accordance with the invention six cylinders are employed arranged in units of two cylinders each, with the understanding that a greater or less number of cylinders of like unitary arrangement may be employed. Of the six cylinders four are power cylinders and two. are utilized for compressing and injecting the charges, the engine, for the sake of simplicity of description, being considered as containing four power cylinders. The charge-impelling cylinders are placed side by side between two pairs of power cylinders and these chargedinpelling cylinders are so timed in their strokes as to 30 lead the power cylinders, and, furthermore,

the piston strokes are so related to the cylinders as to more closely approachthe heads of the cylinders before the limit of stroke in such direction is completed.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings z- Figure 1 is a side elevation of an explosion engine embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section in the plane of the crank shaft but showing some parts in elevation.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the explosion engine.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the pistons and pitmen at a certain period in the rotation of the crank shaft.

Figure 5 is a vertical section, on a larger scale than the preceding figures, showing the head end of one of the power cylinders.

Figure 6 is a similar section through one of the charge-impelling cylinders.

Figure 7 is a detail section on the line 77 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a crank case 1 mounted on supports 2, which latter may be varied in accordance with the character of service demanded of the engine and the location in which the engine is placed. The ends of the crank case are provided with bearings 3 for a crank shaft 4, which latter may be similar in construction to explosion engine shafts as ordinarily built. In the particular arrangement shown in the drawings, six cranks are provided on the shaft, there being one pair of cranks 5, 6, another similar pair of cranks 7, 8, the two pair of cranks being located near the ends of the shaft, and another pair of cranks-9, 10 advanced, in the direction of rotation, somewhat ahead of the cranks 5, 6 and 7, 8.

In addition to the end bearings 3 the crank shaft has journal bearings 3 between the adjacent cranks. Mounted on the crank case are cylinders 11 and 12, 13 and 14, 15 and 16. The cylinders 11 and 12 may be similar to the power cylinders of explosion engines and are enclosed in a water jacket 17. In like manner the cylinders 13 and 14: are onclosed in a water jacket18, all in accordance with the usual practice. The cylinders 15 and 16 may or may not be enclosed in a water jacket and are shown as lacking a water jacket, but it is to be understood that they may be provided with a water jacket if deemed desirable. The cylinders 11 to" 16 have respective pistons 19 to 24:, each piston being individual to a respective cylinder and may be assumed to follow the usual explosion engine practice so far as the construction of the pistons is concerned.

Each cylinder 11, 12, 13 and 14: is provided with an exhaust port 25 such as it is usual to employ in two-cycle explosion engines, that is the port 25 is uncovered at or just before the termination of the power stroke of the piston. The cylinders 15 and 16 have no such exhaust port since such cylinders serve in the nature of pumps.

The ports 25 of the pair of cylinders 11 and 12 and the ports 25 of the-pair of cylinders 13 and 14 are connected to respective exhaust manifolds 26, which latter are connected in common to an exhaust pipe 27 which may lead to any suitable point of disposition of the exhaust gases when the engene is running.

Each power cylinder 11 to 14 isprovidcd with a valve casing 27 secured to the cylinderhead by screws28 or in other appropriate manner-and communicating with the interior of the cylinder by a port 29, this structure being shown in detail in Figure 5. In thecasiiig 27'there is formed a valve seat-30'normal-ly engaged by a valve 31 which valve is provided with a stem 32 extending axially through the casing 27 into a'n'eck 33'on the casing. lVithin the neck 33 the valve stem 32 is surrounded by a spring 34 c'arrying'a spring-tensioning nut 35. Topermit'access to the nut 35 and at the same time protect the'neck 33 from access of dust and dirt, said neck is provided with acap 36 which may be of screw variety. The valve 31 opens toward the port 29 and on'the side of the valve seat 30 remote from'the port 29'the casing 27 communicates witha'pipe or duct37.

Mount ed on each cylinder 15 and 16 is a valve casing 38 generally similar to the valve'casing 27 and shown separately in Figure 6. The pipe or duct'37 cominunieates with thecasing 38 on one side of the latter 'andanother pipe 37 coming from a companion casing 27- communicates with the other side of the casing 38. The valve casing 38 'may be secured to a respective one of the cylinders and 16 by screws 39 and within the casing 38 between the pipes 37 and the interior of the cylinder carrying the easing there is aduct or port 40 terminating adjacent'to the pipes 37 in a'valve seat 41 normally engaged by a'valve 42 so arranged as to open away from the port 40. The

valve 42is carried by a valve stem 43 ex tending through a guide neck 44 formed on a head 45 screwed into another neck 46 on the casing 38. Lodged in the head 45 is a spring 47 under the control of a screw 48 accessible from the exterior or the head 45 held in adjusted positions by a lock nut 49, whereby the tension of the spring 47 may be readily adjusted and the valve 42 be heldtoits seat with any desired degree of pressure. p

In an engine of the four cylinder type as shown in the drawings, and having the power cylinders arranged by pairs in units one power cylinder of one unit connects to a cylinder'15 or 16, as the case may be, and is in turn connected to the corresponding power cylinder of the other unit so that the power cylinder 11, for instance, is connected to the power'c'ylinder 13and to the intermediate pumping cylinder 15, and the power cylinder 12 is connected to the power cylinder 14 and to the intermediate pumping cylinder 16.

Each cylinder 1:") and i6 is provided near what may be termed its upper end to the port 50 communicating with a valve casing 51 common to both cylinders. Adjacent to each port 50 the casing 51 has a valve seat 52 to which there is adapted a valve 53 provided with a valve stem 54 extending through and exterior to the casing 51 and there surrounded by a spring 55 and carrying a tension-adjusting nut 56, the tendency of each spring being to maintain the respective valve 53 closed. At an intermediate point of the casing 51. is a. port 57 and sur rounding the port is a ledge 58 designed to receive a carburetor of which only a connecting member 59 is shown, the particular construction of the carbureter not entering into this invention.

The water jackets 17 and 18 receive and discharge water through pipes or ducts 60 in accordance with the usual practice in explosion engines and hence requiring no particular description.

At one end the crank shaft 4 carries a. fly-wheel (31 and at the other end the crank shaft carries a timer (2, such timer having a rockable member ()3 controlled by a manipulating lever 64 and carrying brushes 65 movable over a contact member ($6. The timer G2 is made fast to the shaft .4 so that the spark may be advanced or retarded as occasion demands. Electric conductors (37 are shown in Figure '1 and are designed to supply electric current to the timer to be distributed to spark plugs (58, one for each power cylinder of the engine. As it is common in explosion engines to provide a suitable distributor for directing the current to the spark plugs in proper order. no showing is attempted of such a distributor.

lVhen the engine is running the pistons 23 and 24 alternately draw into and discharge from the cylinders 15 and 16 suitable explosive chargcs, the indrawing stroke of each piston causing the intake ofthe explosive charge past the respective valve 53 and through the port 50 into the cylinder. The return stroke of the same piston compresses the charge and ultimately forces it through the duct 40 and by the valve 42 into one or the pipes 37 into the power cylinders in which the power pistons are on the return stroke. The other power cylinders do not then receive any of the compressed charge because of the resistance or the explosion charge at the time holding the valve 311. closed. The piston 230] 21; as the case may be, moving on the compression stroke, has a somewhat longer stroke than the eorrespomling power cylinder and approaches nearer to the head of the compression cylinder than does the piston in the power cylinder, wherefore the pressure of the compressed charge is greater than the pressure due to the return stroke of the power piston in the cylinder receiving the charge so that an appropriate quantity of compressed gas is forced into the cylinder about to fire. Since the compressing piston completes its compression stroke in advance of the completion of the return stroke of the power cylinder the valve 4.2 may close before the compressed charge in the power cylinder about to fire is ignited, wherefore there is no liability of back firing.

The engine is of the two cycle type, that is an explosion occurs in each cylinder at each complete revolution of the crank shaft and consequently the engine has the effect of an eight cylinder engine as compared with the ordinary four-cycle four cylinder engine.

What is claimed is 1. An explosion engine comprising groups of power cylinders with pistons, and other power cylinders with pistons for causing and compressing fuel charges, the pistons of the groups of power cylinders reciprocating in alternation, and the strokes of the pistons of the compressing cylinders being of the same frequency as and of greater compressive extent than the strokes of the pistons of the power cylinders.

2. A multi-cylinder explosion engine, comprising a plurality of pairs of power cylinders each with a piston therein operating in alternation with the companion piston of the same pair, and a plurality of other cylinders less in number than the power cylinders and each with a piston therein for compressing charges for the power cylinders, the second named cylinder pistons each having the stroke of greater compressive capacity than the strokes of the power pistons.

3. A multi-cylinder explosion engine comprising a plurality of unit groups of two power cylinders each, with each cylinder provided with a piston, and a plurality of charge-compressing cylinders less in number than the groups of the power cylinders, each charge compressing cylinder feeding a plurality of power cylinders of different groups.

4. A multi-cylinder explosion engine comprising a plurality of unit groups of two power cylinders each, charge-compressing cylinders corresponding in number to the number of unit groups, and a crank shaft common to all the cylinders, each charge compressing cylinder being connected to different groups of power cylinders with the pistons of each group of power cylinders operating in alternation and the charge compressing cylinders also operating in alternation, and the charge compressing cylinders operating in advance of the power cylinders during the compression strokes.

5. A multi-cylinder explosion engine comprising a plurality of unit groups of two power cylinders each, charge-compressing cylinders corresponding in number to the number of unit groups, and a crank shaft common to all the cylinders, each charge compressing cylinder being connected to different groups of power cylinders with the pistons of each group of power cylinders operating in alternation and the charge compressing cylinders also operating in alternation and the charge compressing cylinders operating in advance of the power cylinders during the compression strokes, and the charge compressing cylinders having longer strokes than the power cylinders.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature.

EDSON POTTER. Witnesses JAMES P. CLARK, JAMES DOUGLASS. 

